The Australian Crash Frequency strikes back, this time with a DCD set to gain some international and world-wide attention. It was lately Charles Fenech of ANGEL THEORY who told us in our current interview (please look for it somewhere else here...), that the Australian Electro/Industrial/Goth scene has reached a special point of evolution, where some good recognition occurs and that the included bands, especially the ones presented through this collective – show a lot of diversity and originality. His words got proven right with this compilation featuring almost all Crash Frequency bands – I miss only SOBIQUET, INTRA-SONIC and STARK here. The first disk named "Arrival (Home)" features 15 tracks of – so-called - "radio versions" featuring mostly the best pieces taken out of the latest albums of each band, but also some goodies and unreleased new tracks. Opening act marks – like expected – the currently striking duo of ANGELSPIT with their track "Vena Cava". If some of you really haven’t checked out their new CD "Krankhaus" – an epic in both parts, Industrial-Metal music and artwork – I then advise you to do so! Goth Rock was and is not my cup of tea, but the famous IKON give a well done piece here and their "Sunset At Golgotha" is still unreleased. To the straight and melodious EBM/Electro music of ANGEL THEORY I don’t have to give any further explanations, because this act is maybe together with IKON the most known act internationally. "Human", out of Charles’ last and highly recommended full length CD "Re-Possession" is one of the best tracks he has ever composed. Comes then N0N-PLUS, a relatively new member of the collective and musically based into the Powernoise/Ambient genre. I haven’t heard anything from this act before, so that’s a bit hard to start comparisons, but this decent track featuring ominous synth layers and a steady beat makes me hungry for more. Follows then the great duo TANKT with a new and unreleased track "Surveillance". You remember their well done "Club Life" CD, also licensed to Static Sky Records? Well, forget it, because this "Surveillance" knocks almost all tracks from "Club Life" out of the field! Comes then the duo of THE CRYSTALLINE EFFECT and so the journey into a musically more strange copulation, because they mix Electro elements with Trip-Hop efforts mostly guided by decent female vocals. Their track here, "One Time In Life" taken from their new EP "Blurred Edges" is a well done example for the more Trip-Hop-based kind of this duo. LUX VOLTAIRE is also an act I haven’t discovered so far, I can only remember their funny "Oberheim" contribution from the first chapter of this compilation series. Their new and unreleased "Dreamtime" is a straight and modern arranged Electro dance track with a duty guitar riff in between. They are followed by THE PROCESS VOID coming up with a new instrumental cut and the Synthpop act TYCHO BRAHE with a track of their latest release "Atlantic", out on the US-based label Coohagen Music. RESURRECTION EVE have already produced more remarkable tracks than "Embrace", which was also available on their great last CD "Ascension", out on GUP/Endless Records. PLAQUE SEQUENCE follows and they are totally new to me. "Futuristic Techno, Cyber-Electro, Psytrance and Technosexual Fetish-Industrial", so the description on their music – nothing what could help to make the things clearer. Lee Bulig of STARK has done some additional music and Pete Crane of THE CRYSTALLINE EFFECT seems also to be a member.
We have then two tracks done by DOMINO THEORY (dark Pop with Trip-Hop attitudes leaded by female vocals) and DANDELION WINE, who could lately get a deal with the German Ars Musica Diffundere, a division of the Black Rain group. DAZY CHAIN give us their track "Hush" taken from their last full length – a track which starts peaceful and calm, but then to come out in a rough and angry Punk/Metal-like raging piece. Last track of this first CD then is provided by the new collective member THE TENTH STAGE musically ranging between Goth Rock and Electro. I dig this track a lot, it mixes up both styles with some good male vocals. So 15 tracks in all on the first CD, let’s check out the content of CD2, called "Departures (Club)" and so – like the name explains it – turns the music into a more club-oriented field.
ANGEL THEORY now opens the second disk, again with "Human", but this time in remix version created by John Van Loon out of the Netherlands. The rhythms are now a bit updated, John has also done some further production and he added his voice for a kind of guest singer appearance – in all a very satisfying remix work. THE CRYSTALLINE EFFECT now show with their second track "Only You Can See You" their other side, musically more depending on a modern kind of Electro dance – it’s a great and previously unreleased track. ANGELSPIT send out another invitation to join them on the dancefloor for some crunchy Industrial/X-over actions with a new "Pill Binge" remix of their "Elixir", originally another fine piece out of the "Krankhaus". I then see the difficulty to offer a club-friendly track from IKON – finally they present here with "Ghost In My Head (Adam Cal Remix)" a track of the 1998 album "This Quiet Earth". Also some unreleased stuff is offered by TYCHO BRAHE with their track "Avarice", which got by the way remixed by another Australian legend alive again, George Pappas of REAL LIFE. It’s a great Synthpop tune with some female vocals integrated, which doesn’t leave any wishes open. Also the newbies of THE TENTH STAGE give a second track "Criminal World", which got remixed by Dave Foreman of TANKT. Have a clear listen to the great and alive-sounding synth layers. Next are TANKT with the title track of their past full length CD "Club Life", here in a special remix created by Charles Fenech of ANGEL THEORY. Please note also his special guest vocal appearance on this great track. PLAQUE SEQUENCE return with a modern dance track taking influences out of Trance and Techno. Pete Crane of THE CRYSTALLINE EFFECT does his best here, although the adding of some more vocals wouldn’t be wrong. The rough tunes of THE PROCESS VOID – here "Lethargy" taken from their debut - also got a remix here, this time done by LUX VOLTAIRE. Relatively danceable, but mostly instrumental. RESURRECTION EVE then show themselves from their very best side and offer a new remix of their track "Forever" – be sure and listen only 1 – 2 times the refrain, it will be undeletable burned in your mind - one of the finest Synthpop tune this act has ever produced! Comes then DOMINO THEORY with an "Apology" – but there’s nothing to excuse, because the track grows on you after a few rotations. But don’t ask me who the responsible remixers ROMUS & REMULUS are, if we don’t think of the historically meaning. DANDELION WINE have again the flute in action, their at times strange female vocals and some guitar riffs as well – it’s always hard for me to sort them in, but I take it as sports – they are another proof of the diversity offered out of Down Under. Last but not least we get an unreleased track by LUX VOLTAIRE, "Australia’s Premier Neuropunk Outfit – whatever this means. After an acoustic opening the track "Despite You" turns into an acceptable and danceable electronic track, well done, Gentlemen.
A final and special note has to be taken for the brilliant artwork created by Destroyx of ANGELSPIT - indeed it has some relations to that famous "Krankhaus" art, plus also the great "flying skull" logo craeted by Roberto Massaglia of TANKT/THE TENTH STAGE. Charles Fenech of ANGEL THEORY finally has collected this well done comp.
I of course have some personal favorites here on this compilation, but I try to avoid to pick them out specially. It is because that the Australian Electro/Industrial/Goth scene has so much diversity and surprises in all genres to offer that every listener will find his/her very own favorite. Come on and take a steady listen to Down Under and the leading Crash Frequency collective – satisfaction guaranteed!

Disc CF01 : Arrival [Home]
1. Vena Cava - Angelspit
2. Sunset At Golgotha - IKON
3. Human - ANGELTHEORY
4. Of The in Visible - n0nplus
5. Surveillance - Tankt
6. One Time in Life - The Crystalline Effect
7. Dreamtime - Lux Voltaire
8. Skyro - The Process Void
9. Don’t Feel That Way - Tycho Brahe
10. Embrace - Resurrection Eve
11. Oblivion - Plague Sequence
12. No Apology - Domino Theory
13. Tulip Eyes - DandelionWine
14. Hush - Dazychain
15. The 10th Stage - The Tenth Stage

Disc CF02 : Departures [Club]
1. Human (JVL Mix) - ANGELTHEORY
2. Only You can See You - The Crystalline Effect
3. Elixir (Elixir Remix) - Angelspit
4. Ghost in My Head - IKON
5. Avarice (George Pappas Real Life Remix - Previously Unreleased) - Tycho Brahe
6. Criminal World (Exclusive) - The Tenth Stage
7. Club Life [Club Mix] - Tankt
8. Take The First Step - Plague Sequence
9. Lethargy - The Process Void
10. Forever - Resurrection Eve
11. Apology - Domino Theory
12. Arc - Dandelion Wine
13. Despite You (Previously Unreleased) - Lux Voltaire

Another new signing for the rising Alfa Matrix label, this time hailing out of Illinois/USA. I:SCINTILLA could already earn some recognition thanks to their musically style, combining Electro-Goth, Industrial-Metal, some Trip-Hop beats mixed with a seductive and crystal-clear female vocal performance done by the over-radiating front woman, Brittany Bindrim. Her voice is indeed that dominant and outstanding that some courageous voice already compare her with a chart breaker like EVANESCENCE – well, a bit exaggerated but surely an allowed comparison. It should be mentioned that I:SCINTILLA consist of four members, two men/two women. I dig a lot the fact that this EP features at first four original compositions of this quartet named "Havestar", "Skin", "The Bell" and their own remix of "Capsella (Toxin remix)". The first both mentioned tracks are the main tracks, but luckily the other two tracks can’t really be called b-sides fodder, because they aren’t any weaker. Add to this five remix works mainly hailing from the Alfa Matrix roster with the one exception, COMBICHRIST. Andy LaPlegua offers a dancefloor stomper remix of "Havestar" as it’s best! Also nice and ear-catching (as usual) is the work of DISKONNEKTED putting "Havestar" in a pure electronic-minded dress, while the IMPLANT remix offers a wanted/unwanted reduction to some simplicity which can’t satisfy this time. NEIKKA RPM transforms "Skin" into a more dancefloor compatible attitude, while KLUTAE has with "Capsella" a difficult remix work which can’t pick up the different mood of the remix work of I:SCINTILLA themselves. With I:SCINTILLA Alfa Matrix has definitively picked up one of their best – if not the best – act leaded by a female singer and the course and direction show clear to enter sales in not discovered dimensions. Lets hope the best that the upcoming album will prove this.

I really don’t know why many German bands seem to be nostalgic about their past when they ruled the Europe at the beginning of WWII and I don’t know how to take the fact the Feindflug take the WWII iconography as their own (see also their WWII soldier coats and their live stage structured as a trench). It could be a joke, it could be fashion, I don’t really know but... where have they found a tank to use into the "Truppenschau" video??? Anyway, the DVD, that cheers their tenth year of activity, is really packed with tons of live videos (it’s good to see that this time we have a professional live video with multi angular takes and all), interviews, videos, other live clips, a short movie (13 minutes long) titled "Zonen" by Jon Svärdhagen with Feindflug music. The dvd contains material for a total length of more than 170 minutes plus 60 minutes of extra material. The sound is presented in stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 and it gives a good idea of how the Feindfulg live sound is. The video footage span through the 1999÷2004 period and their major hits are covered. Here’s the full tracklist:
Concert Video :-
01. Intro
02. Truppenschau
03. Kahle Bedrohung
04. B66883
05. Kalte Unschuld
06. AK47
07. Grössenwahn
08. Gulag
09. Stukas Im Visier
10. Leere Gräben
11. Kopfschuss
12. Menschenjagd
13. Machtwechsel
14. Roter Schnee
15. Neue Sieger
16. Sturmwalze(r)

Live Clips :-
01. Feindflug ( V.04 )
02. Glaubenskrieg
03. Kopfschuss
04. Würdelos / In Gefangenschaft
05. Tötungsmaschine Mensch
06. Roter Schnee

Bonus Clips :-
01. Truppenschau
02. Stukas im Visier
03. "Zonen" - short movie by Jon Svärdhagen
04. Glaubenskrieg
05. Bonusclip / Outtakes

+ Bonus Hidden Track with credits by Feindflug

Formed back in 2004 Vigilante is an industrial metal e.b.m. band coming from Cile. It’s the first time I hear about an e.b.m. band coming from that country but I’m glad things are moving all around the world. For sure they, as well as the Mexican band Hocico, know really well what they are talking about when they sing about control, suppression and such kind of things. A year has passed since Vigilante released their debut album "The heroes’ code", so it was time to propose something new to their audience. JUICIO FINAL contains three Spanish versions of "The other side" (called now "Juicio final"), "One good reason" (now "Resistir") and "Survive" (now "Sangrar"). In addition to these there’s a preview of a new track "Justice" (a track that mix e.b.m. and Fear Factory kind of sound) that will be included into their next album. Along these new songs you can also find five remixes thanks to Funker Vogt, Z Prochek, Chiasm, Amateur God and Obszon Geschopf. Each remixer exalted the metal e.b.m. style of Vigilante mixing it with their characteristic sound. A good E.P. that will please the lovers of the genre. P.s. Into the CD extra section you can find a professional video of "The other side".

Sterile is back with a new release after releasing a 'best of' album on Art of Fact label. Their 2006 debut "Realism" considers a huge production and driving raging vocals that sound-alike between Trent Renzor and Das Ich singer. Even some of the tracks have a Nine Inch Nails and Das Ich feel to it. Electronic, guitars, kickass basslines, movie samples, and tight hardfloor beats create a high volume intensity on this band's album. Heavily sparkle with crisp, strong, and powerful energetic industrial and EBM. The tracks are catchy and hypnotic and will blow you away with its infectious mind-blowing pulsating sound. Striking tracks favorites "Realist", "Statik", "The Unknown", "Script Electric", and "Kidding King" stand the album out. Sterile provides us new fresh tracks that's glitchy body moving like seeking a breath of fresh air and a release of frustration that binds you in your everyday life. Harsh angry vocals depicts what the singer is expressing from his heart. Pick the cd up. It's great to listen to it when you're driving home from work.